The OIA outdid themselves once again at the annual Outdoor Industry Rendezvous held the first weekend in October. The speakers all had very strong presentations, high quality material, and at times, provocative. OIA organized and executed the event to perfection.

The attendees were also high quality, highly engaged, and committed to getting the most out of the event. The speakers ranged from a chief economist at Ernst & Young to a color trend analyst. It was a great mix of entertainment and education. While some speakers were very serious and addressed key issues influencing the industry’s customers, others kept the audience laughing, while still others had the audience in awe.

The attendees had a very heartfelt goodbye for OIA’s outgoing VP of Member Services, Norman Hanson, who is moving on to Smartwool.

The only drawback heard again this year was the lack of retailers participating in the event. Timberland got proactive and brought some key specialty retailers along to participate in their retail panel, but to our knowledge no other vendors offered sponsorships or scholarships to retailers. This is vital to the future success of the event.

The Timberland Service Project was also a great success once again. Every project completed gave the participants a real sense of accomplishment from preventing erosion around Red Cliff’s drinking water reservoir to renovating the town’s cemetery so residents could visit their deceased relatives in a more serene environment, everything we did will have a real impact on the lives of the people in Red Cliff.

In spite of the on-and-off rain and clouds the location was as stunning and posh as any resort in the Rockies. The decadence and luxury of Beaver Creek made the situation in Red Cliff seem that much more important, and showed a real contrast between the two different towns and lifestyles.

It was interesting that several of the OIA board members did not attend. Most companies from the front-range showed up, but there were several industry leaders absent. In spite of the absences, there was record attendance with over 220 vendors and roughly 30 retailers showing up.

BOSS heard several attendees wishing they had more time to recreate in the surrounding mountains. Beaver Creek provides plenty of opportunity, but the back to back high-quality speakers kept everyone busy throughout the day.

Many people were able to slip out before the sun came up for a morning run, and several attendees pushed their recreation plans back to the last day, skipping a very informative and humorous closing speech from former Harley Davidson VP, Andy Smith.

Wish You Were There Part I:

Notes From Rendezvous…

Leveraging Outdoor Markets – How to Maximize Your European Presence

Leo Salazar, Marketing Director — Outdoor Europe
Key Notes:

  • EU population is 491.5 million and while borders are disappearing, there are still very real language and cultural barriers.
  • There are also different trade regulations from country to country, making it even more difficult to import goods.
  • Different areas are very loyal to local brands: England buys Berghaus, Germany buys Jack Wolfskin, France buys Lafuma, etc.
  • Regional loyalty can be even more specific: Northern Germans prefer different brands than Southern Germans.
  • The only real pan-European brands are American brands. This is a real advantage to brands moving into the market right now.
  • Most common approach to breaking into the EU market is to go through a distributor, but this gives limited control of your brand, your image, your marketing and sales efforts, and your knowledge of the market.
  • Best practice is to keep control of all of these issues by hiring local sales agencies that know their markets and designate an EU liaison that goes between Europe and the home office keeping control of the brand, image marketing and keeping market knowledge in-house.
  • This also allows a pan-European sales strategy to be put in place and lets you control price policy country by country. It is also more efficient that a relationship with a distributor – better margins.
  • Calls for a conscious strategic re-alignment with constant communications between EU and home.

Audience Feedback:

  • If you do decide to go with a distributor, talk to retailers to find the best.
  • Germany is largest market, and good place to start.
  • High price point sales with clear demonstrated value are up in EU.
  • EU consumers are still very brand conscious – no private label pressure like in U.S.
  • Logistically it is possible to create a single market in the EU, but it is not possible to create a single marketing and sales effort – these must be broken down regionally.